A new study shows that, in addition to the diversity of tree species, the variety of animal and fungus species also has a decisive influence on the performance of forests. Forest performance comprises many facets besides timber production, such as carbon storage and climate regulation. The study is based on ten years of research in...
Do spiders have a favorite color?
Scientists recently discovered the aptly named peacock jumping spiders have the color vision needed to appreciate the male's gaudy display.
Now biologists at the University of Cincinnati are studying whether that ability translates to the more humdrum-looking wolf spiders that are muted browns and tans instead of electric blue, fiery orange and stoplight red.
UC biology professor...
Flies meet gruesome end under influence of puppeteer fungus
Carolyn Elya discovered the puppet-master on the balcony of her Berkeley apartment. It was a fungus that infects fruit flies, invading their nervous system and eating them from the inside out.
In their death throes, the infected flies -- like puppets on a string -- obligingly climb to a high point and spread their wings, exposing...
Animal taxonomy: Outwardly identical, yet distinct
Up until quite recently, the animal phylum Placozoa enjoyed a unique position in animal systematics. It was the only phylum to which only a single species had ever been assigned: Trichoplax adhaerens. Now, however, at team led by Professor Gert Wörheide of LMU's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and GeoBio-Center has discovered that placozoan...
Fruit flies farm their own probiotics
The role of bacteria inhabiting our bodies is increasingly recognized as part of our wellbeing. It is in our intestines that the most diverse and significant bacteria community is located. It is believed that the manipulation of this community -- named microbiota -- can contribute to solve some diseases. However, to enable it, it is...
Creating a (synthetic) song from a zebra finch's muscle
Birds create songs by moving muscles in their vocal organs to vibrate air passing through their tissues. While previous research reported that each of the different muscles controls one acoustic feature, new research shows that these muscles act in concert to create sound.
An international team of researchers describes how zebra finches produce songs in the...